In a move similar to BlackBerry’s disastrous PlayBook tablet, carriers and resellers started slashing the price of the Z10 smartphone, launched only months ago. Carriers AT&T and Verizon cut the all-touch handset to $99 from $199. Best Buy and Amazon now sell the device for $49.

Such deep discounts are usually a tell-tale sign of lackluster response (to put it mildly). The Z10 hit US shores on March 22 with a tall order of turning the BlackBerry around and saving the once mighty Canadian vendor from oblivion…

While discounts are commonly used to sell older devices ahead of a new product launch, the move by carriers and retailers “suggest the phone isn’t selling well,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

Following last week’s shareholders meeting, speculation swirled that BlackBerry could be sold for scraps, prompting the start of a death watch.

In a statement, BlackBerry defended the price cuts, calling it “the right time to adjust the price” as it took the wraps off its new Q10 handset, which offers users a real keyboard.

The spokesman by email also told the Journal that the lower prices were “just one element of our marketing strategy” in what he termed “a very competitive landscape.”

CEO Thorsten Heins has described the U.S. smartphone market as “ferocious.”

Indeed, the market for smartphones nowadays seems to mostly revolve around the iOS-Android duopoly, with Microsoft fighting to become a viable #3 entrant.

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I really think Blackberry is trying too hard to appease people in the iPhone and Android space.

I like the Q10… I like Blackberry because of their well known Qwerty Keyboard. That’s what there known for. They should put more focus into that.. And build off that. I really believe they missed the whole picture of why they are Blackberry and what made them so successful, instead they tried to do what Apple and Google is doing.. And they missed the boat.

MarcPhilippeB

In today’s landscape you can’t compete only with a superior keyboard. It needs more than that. OS10 is a beginning, and the concept overall seems pretty interesting, unfortunately the handsets that support it need to have drastic hardware/design advantages over the competition as well.

Al

That’s what I meant… build off the keyboard. Nowadays it’s all touchscreen.. It would be rather unique to find a smartphone that stands apart from the rest.

But what has failed Blackberry is developers… Without developer support the platform becomes obsolete.

pegger1

Doing there own thing for too long is what made them miss the boat in the first place. They took way too long to adapt, way too long to release the new OS and updated devices.
Note: Qwerty refers to the layout of the keys, most phones use Qwerty layout including iPhone. Both new Blackberries use a Qwerty keyboard, only one is physical as opposed to a touch screen.

Al

Well, I meant having a physical keyboard. And I’ve had a Blackberry, and it was definitely popular throughout it’s time. And the iPhone basically took off in 2007… it was ahead of it’s time.

All I’m basically saying… Blackberry is known for there “Physical” Qwerty keyboard, and it woulda been nice to capitalize on that while innovating and exploring ideas off that. Of course, it’s old news now. But I was hoping they would adapt, I’m an Apple user.. I’m just all for competition that’s all.

Kurt

In Germany Blackberry is better know for their “Physical” Qwertz keyboard

Roger Riekki

Peace

Pitchy

And this is what happens when you ignore competition and put all of your eggs in your old way of doing things. It’s like they thought iOS / Android devices were just a fad and everyone would come running back to them like BlackBerry was their warm and fuzzy safety blanket that will always be there.

felixtaf

They were 3 yrs late… Shud have released B10 by 2010… Then thye wud have kept lots of customers…

Adham

BB10 is just another WebOS. Something new that had tons of great features and was competitive, but failed to appease iPhone and Android users.

I think if Blackberry actually worked to meet BB10 deadlines as well as realized they should have push it out a couple years earlier, they would not have been in the boat they are in now.

BoardDWorld

WebOS never got a chance thanks to a thick CEO take-over who axed the entire project. Can’t compare the 2…

Kurt

That guy was a horrible CEO. Glad they got rid of him, shame they didn’t do it earlier.

ce

I used to choose bb over iOS now they can just die no Netflix support

chris125

I feel there is the big 2(IOS and android) and the others are fighting for scraps and going to be hard to sell against the iPhones and androids

n0ahcruz3

Well basically, nothing is revolutionary about UI overhaul. BB right now has nothing to offer featurewise aside from security and BBM.